Indian tech professionals are facing a steep decline in pay, even as their counterparts in the US continue to see strong growth.
Median compensation for engineering and data roles in India fell 40% to $22,000 in 2025 from $36,000 a year earlier, according to a joint report by payroll and compliance platform Deel and equity management firm Carta.
In sharp contrast, similar roles in the US saw median salaries jump to $150,000 from $122,000 during the same period. Product and design professionals in India also took a hit, with median pay slipping to $23,000, compared with $138,000 in the US.
While the global tech sector continues to grapple with gender pay disparities, India stands out for its relative balance. The report noted that “India shows near parity in tech roles, with sales achieving full gender equality.” Median salaries for men and women across most roles in India ranged between $13,000 and $23,000.
In sales roles, gender parity was complete — both men and women earned a median pay of $12,000. But gaps persist in other areas. In product and design roles, men earned a median of $23,000 versus $18,000 for women, while in data roles, the figures stood at $18,000 for men and $13,000 for women.
Globally, the widest gender pay gaps were found in Canada, France, and the US, particularly in tech and product functions.
Deel, which manages over 1 million contracts for 35,000 clients across more than 150 countries, said its findings were based on extensive salary and equity data. Carta contributed insights from more than 900,000 current salary and equity data points across companies valued at $300 million or more.
The report also found that total compensation for top technical talent worldwide is increasingly being driven by equity-based pay. “Equity-based pay is increasingly driving compensation for top talent worldwide,” the report said. Carta’s data shows that median equity grants for engineers, measured as a share of company ownership, have risen steadily between 2021 and 2025 — with emerging markets like Brazil and India recording the fastest growth.
The shift signals a clear global move toward equity-heavy compensation models, even as traditional salary structures face pressure in regions like India.
With inputs from TOI
Median compensation for engineering and data roles in India fell 40% to $22,000 in 2025 from $36,000 a year earlier, according to a joint report by payroll and compliance platform Deel and equity management firm Carta.
In sharp contrast, similar roles in the US saw median salaries jump to $150,000 from $122,000 during the same period. Product and design professionals in India also took a hit, with median pay slipping to $23,000, compared with $138,000 in the US.
While the global tech sector continues to grapple with gender pay disparities, India stands out for its relative balance. The report noted that “India shows near parity in tech roles, with sales achieving full gender equality.” Median salaries for men and women across most roles in India ranged between $13,000 and $23,000.
In sales roles, gender parity was complete — both men and women earned a median pay of $12,000. But gaps persist in other areas. In product and design roles, men earned a median of $23,000 versus $18,000 for women, while in data roles, the figures stood at $18,000 for men and $13,000 for women.
Globally, the widest gender pay gaps were found in Canada, France, and the US, particularly in tech and product functions.
Deel, which manages over 1 million contracts for 35,000 clients across more than 150 countries, said its findings were based on extensive salary and equity data. Carta contributed insights from more than 900,000 current salary and equity data points across companies valued at $300 million or more.
The report also found that total compensation for top technical talent worldwide is increasingly being driven by equity-based pay. “Equity-based pay is increasingly driving compensation for top talent worldwide,” the report said. Carta’s data shows that median equity grants for engineers, measured as a share of company ownership, have risen steadily between 2021 and 2025 — with emerging markets like Brazil and India recording the fastest growth.
The shift signals a clear global move toward equity-heavy compensation models, even as traditional salary structures face pressure in regions like India.
With inputs from TOI
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